Salud. Dignidad. Justicia.

Soy Poderosa: Why Millennial Latinas Lead in Texas and Beyond

As a young working professional Poderosa, as a college graduate, and as I have seen in communities across the Americas, I know first-hand intelligent and motivated Millennial Latinas achieve and overcome what some would consider insurmountable obstacles. They have not only met their challenges head-on but have come to achieve success at multiple levels. At the age of 14, I staged my first sit-in and I have been a poderosa organizer and policy nerd in local communities ever since. I did not have the words then to describe what intrinsically motivated me to confront perceived obstacles. I followed the example of my mother and father, who were youth activists in Guatemala prior to the civil war before they came to the United States as undocumented immigrants. Through them I understood the importance of garnering collective power to close the gaps in equality. I continued on my journey as an ally supporting the effort to create a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in my high school and founding a youth empowerment conference on higher education so my cousins could access the tools they needed. I was unapologetic about embracing all of my identities and worked tirelessly to protect my dignity and my family’s dignity.

I have seen this quality in the Millennial Latinas (and Latinos) that I have had the privilege of working with. As the State Strategies Coordinator at Advocates for Youth, I have had the honor of partnering with the Texas Freedom Network Student Chapters through our Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative. They are one of our eight state partners that support Millennial leaders and have specifically worked with Latina leaders to improve sex education policy in Texas. Through tireless advocacy in their local communities Millennial Latina youth activists like Rebecca Treviño, Deborah Paz, and April Flores are challenging the political landscape to improve sex education. These poderosas have hosted in-district lobby days, entered public comments at school board meetings, gathered petition signatures for the Education Works Bill (check bill), trained their peers, and tabled at community events. They are spokes – poderosas defending access to women’s reproductive health services and stood with Planned Parenthood in their local communities of Brownsville, El Paso, and San Marcos pushing back on Texas Governor Rick Perry. These women lead their communities to push back against the dysfunctional attitudes toward sexuality in Texas and to build space for all Latinas to thrive.

Rebecca, Deborah and April are following a strong multicultural tradition of women of color who must lead in order to preserve our families, our cultures, our communities, and our own political enfranchisement. They are working to hold the state of Texas accountable and ensure that their vote counts. They are pushing back against the threat of voter suppression.

My foremothers carved a path of resistance that propels me to lead every day. These Latinas along with all the student chapter leaders from the Texas Freedom Network represent Millennial women and men leading in their communities.

The slow bigotry of low expectations has birthed a myth that Millennials do not lead and more perniciously that Millennial women do not lead. I am one Latina of a cadre of Millennial women, along with our youth activists in Texas, who are leading micro-movements and tracking policy. We are demonstrating through our actions that Millennial Latinas son Poderosas.

Hemly Ordonez is the State Strategies Coordinator at Advocates for Youth and oversees the Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative.